Overheating (1st time)

[s.u.p.r.a]

Hey all,

My car just redlined the temperature gauge for the first time. It has never gone past 1/2 way before.

I popped the radiator and had about 2 gallons on coolant spray about 6ft upwards and then all over my engine. =]

All I did prior to it overheating:
- Removed charcoal cannister (ran feed from tank into fresh air)
- Hooked my heater core up as shown in the tsrm. (was 1/2 hooked up)
- Hooked my speed sensor up for my passenger side antilock brakes.

Anyhoo, I have no leaks whatsoever and have no idea what might be wrong.

Any ideas?

Thanks.

 

[MK3Brent]

Yeah, you don't want to open the radiator when it's hot next time.

 

[mazzer]

oh boy. when those stock gages go red it's REALLY hot. esp on this particular vehicle . good chance you warped the head when it gets THAT hot

ALWAYS squeeze the upper rad hose to see if there is pressure, before opening a radiator cap

 

[johnathan1]

Yea, that's why on the radiator caps it says "Do not open when hot".

Did you bleed your cooling of air? It could be an air bubble causing you to overheat. Could also be your thermostat sticking...if it happens again, try hitting the thermostat housing with something.

 

[s.u.p.r.a]

Think it's possible I have the same problem as the post below this one (http://www.supramania.com/forums/showthread.php?t=59108) ?

Maybe by hooking my heater up properly I somehow created a massive air bubble (from air that had been trapped in the lines behind the dash).

The engine really didn't seem like it was overheating as much as the gauge thought it was. If air was stuck under the sensor by the thermostat would it read higher or lower than the coolant temperature?

 

[s.u.p.r.a]

And for the record :icon_bigg I knew coolant was going to spray out the cap but decided that I might save my engine by relieving the pressure so it could cool down quicker.

 

[MK3Brent]

Doesn't work like that.

 

[johnathan1]

Actually, pressure helps cool better, how can the engine cool down if there is no coolant in it?...jeez you really need to use your brain before you do stupid and potentially dangerous things...1st degree burns, anyone?

 

[s.u.p.r.a]

Err guess I'm a little slow ::dunce::

Thought the pressure would heat the air and the coolant currently in the passages. The coolant was not flowing so I figured the hot coolant wouldn't be helping much inside the block.

 

[suprarx7nut]

How would stagnant pressure help to cool anything johnathan? I'm not doubting, but I don't fully understand.

I suppose the actual fluid absorbs way more heat than the air(due to differences in specific heats), but lower pressure=lower energy. There will still be plenty of coolant in the engine, wouldn't there?

Not saying I'd open my rad cap, but I wouldn't say the kid was an idiot.

 

[Kckazdude]

I would suggest testing/replacing the thermostat and then making sure I had good flow through the radiator.

 

[IJ.]

How would stagnant pressure help to cool anything johnathan? I'm not doubting, but I don't fully understand.

I suppose the actual fluid absorbs way more heat than the air(due to differences in specific heats), but lower pressure=lower energy. There will still be plenty of coolant in the engine, wouldn't there?

Not saying I'd open my rad cap, but I wouldn't say the kid was an idiot.

The Pressure raises the boiling point is all

open cap returns the system to atmospheric pressure the coolant boils and escapes.

For a few seconds the temp would spike a little higher then it would start to drop slowly.

Seriously dangerous thing to do though and coolant really isn't good for painted or polished surfaces.

 

[johnathan1]

Exactly^^ I wasn't sure how to explain it, so I decided to wait for someone that knew to respond.

And yes, coolant is bad for paint...I made the mistake of letting it sit on my Porsche...

 

[suprarx7nut]

The Pressure raises the boiling point is all

open cap returns the system to atmospheric pressure the coolant boils and escapes.

For a few seconds the temp would spike a little higher then it would start to drop slowly.

Seriously dangerous thing to do though and coolant really isn't good for painted or polished surfaces.

Ahhh. Gotcha. I forgot about pressure changing the boiling point. I should really have considered that since thermodynamics is really kicking my ass this semester.

Thanks IJ.

 

[ArthurRitus]

oh boy. when those stock gages go red it's REALLY hot. esp on this particular vehicle . good chance you warped the head when it gets THAT hot

ALWAYS squeeze the upper rad hose to see if there is pressure, before opening a radiator cap

yeah no joke, that shit screwed up my head badddd. cost quite a bit.

 

[AGlobalThreat]

I would suggest testing/replacing the thermostat and then making sure I had good flow through the radiator.

:werd: And don't forget to burp the radiator! You NEED to if you have the stock cooling system as the heater hose is the highest point in the cooling system. When you burp the system you need to have the radiator neck as the highest point in the cooling system and make sure your heater is on full blast with the car at operating temp so any air bubbles that may be trapped in the lines will be given a chance to escape out the top of the radiator.